Local students had the opportunity to cast their vote in the federal election.
After learning about democracy and elections, and researching the parties and platforms, students got to cast their ballots for candidates running in the Foothills riding.
St. John Paul II Collegiate had an advanced polling station, which was organized by teachers Andrea McGeachie and Ashley McLaughlin and run by student volunteers.
"The kids came in and showed their IDs, we crossed off their names the same way they would’ve shown their voter card, they voted, and went on their way,” McLaughlin said.
In total, 259 students from St. John Paul II Collegiate voted through Student Vote Canada.
In the mock election, the Conservative Party received 172 votes, followed by the New Democratic Party (NDP) with 35, the Liberal Party received 23, the Green Party had 15, and the People’s Party received 14.
McLaughlin is hopeful that students will continue to participate in the democratic process.
“We all need and desire different things, and participating in our democratic system is the best way to have those needs, wants, and desires heard,” McLaughlin said. “We need to teach these kids that participating in that process is what is making their voices heard.”
Some students decided not to cast their vote because they didn’t feel like they were prepared enough or understood the candidates' platforms enough to make an informed decision.
“That is a lesson in itself, how to be prepared, how to get to know what is going on in the community and the country, and how it affects you and the people around you,” McLaughlin said.
At Holy Trinity Academy, the student vote took place on election day.
In total, the school had 438 students participate, with the Conservative Party receiving 318 votes, followed by the Liberals with 66 votes, the Green Party received 20, the NDP got 17, and the People’s Party had nine.
The school has participated in both federal and provincial student votes in the past.
“It gives students an opportunity to feel like they have a say, and get them engaged with the electoral process,” said Kyle Clay, social studies teacher. “It's really important for students to understand how our democracy works, how our electoral system works, and be engaged in our political process at an early age.”
St. Mary’s School also took part in the student vote yesterday.
“It was awesome. The students were really excited, a lot of them knew who they wanted to vote for because we researched for a couple of weeks at school, so they were ready to go,” said Kelly Brennan, Grade 6 teacher.
The school had a total of 273 votes, with 63 for the Conservative Party, 13 for the NDP, seven for the Liberal Party, five for the Green Party, two for the People’s Party, and one rejected ballot.
“It gives them the power to research and make their own decisions,” Brennan said. “As a school, we didn’t give them any opinions, we gave them time to do the research and allowed them to have debates and discussions.”
Adding that the students enjoyed the process of voting.
“They felt really empowered by having that vote. It's just really cool to see kids taking ownership and doing something because they want to, not because we're telling them they have to,” Brennan said.
Not only does the event inspire students to vote, but it also opens dialogue.
“We had some parents comment that their kids were coming home and having these great discussions and teaching them about the candidates,” Brennan said. “It opened up that homeschool relationship.”